[hotbarrel]

It was not fast but it did come out nice. I made it out of stainless. I made a cut off tool and rounded over the nose so my groves are rounded just like the original ones. I even made the face of the piston concave a bit. I made a new round nose tool to round out the spots ware the small diameter meats the larger diameter, like the original ones. I am shure square corners would be fine but it is nice to keep the original look.
I admit I did not cut the threads with the feed screw and a carbide tool, I did however use a die holding tool in the tail stock and thread it that way. this helps align everything, cant miss. Anyone want to buy a TAPCO piston I have one and I do not see me useing it now. :thumbup1:
man the lathe is paying for itself allready.

 

[hotbarrel]

oh yes the first photo in the previous thread is half way done. the ends still atached. And I guess the strap or my thumb. anyway you get the idea

 

[Polish Taipan]

Damn nice work HB! Man, custom pistons, you'll be doing 100% home built AK's soon.

 

[DrugRunR]

now you just got to make some true 74 length gas pistons.

 

[Toten Kopf]

Nice work hotbarrel. It's nice when you have a lathe so you can make what you want, when you want. My wife laughs at me for wanting one (don't have the space for it now), saying that I'll spend $4000 for a lathe (W/DRO) so I can make a $0.10 screw.......LOL

Again, nice work.

 

[7.62x39]

Very cool HB.

I remember someone was looking for the thread size recently (probably you) what size did it turn out to be?

 

[droog]

Sweet I may have to have you make me a couple real short ones Soon.

 

[hotbarrel]

droog and drugrunr, just let me know some dimentions and if you are not in a hurry I would enjoy makeing them for you.

 

[DPH arms]

now you just got to make some true 74 length gas pistons.

I have a shop that is in the process of making some now.

Scott

 

[mbadboyz]

Are you going to stamp them HB? USA?

 

[droog]

PM sent .

 

[hotbarrel]

mbadboyz
no I did not stamp mine but I guess I could, I do have stamps,, but they are made of stainless so they are definatly US. most all of my TAPCO pistons have no marking at all, tapco realy just started marking them.

 

[Polish Taipan]

I think you could have a new career HB, Hot Barrel AK products. Custom pistons (hey just thought you can make a custom Romak III piston) and what ever esle you can think of. RPK barrels?

 

[hotbarrel]

I am working on a CUSTOM piston tonight , for a member here, I hope to get it in the mail tonight. I went out today and bought some more tooling.
If someone wanted a romak piston I could do that.
as for going into production,,,,, no thanks I do all of this for fun , if the fun stops .. forget it I am going to stop. makeing a few pistons for members is fun , makeing custom pistons that are not availabel anyware else with a happy member recieving it is fun. 50 pistons ordered and guys saying hurry up would not be fun. I honestly enjoy the welding , parking and turning jobs I do to help out other members. that is what THIS web sight is about I feel guys HELPING other members , their is a LOT of that here with most of our members. honest help . maby even friendship . :thankyou:

 

[hotbarrel]

I am wondering what you do at the point ware the small diameter meets the larger diameter??? the original ones have a rounded cornerthen come the rest of the way strate out. tapco has changed it and theirs come out at 45 degrees.. it would be easy to just cut a 90 degree square corner. I am wondering what look you are going for?? I rounded mine to look as original as possable. just asking.

I have a shop that is in the process of making some now.

Scott

 

[hcpookie]

Nice work hotbarrel. It's nice when you have a lathe so you can make what you want, when you want. My wife laughs at me for wanting one (don't have the space for it now), saying that I'll spend $4000 for a lathe (W/DRO) so I can make a $0.10 screw.......LOL

Again, nice work.

Tell her that $0.10 here, $0.10 there, really starts to add up!!! Besides, that will be more money for her shoe budget

 

[hcpookie]

I am wondering what you do at the point ware the small diameter meets the larger diameter??? the original ones have a rounded cornerthen come the rest of the way strate out. tapco has changed it and theirs come out at 45 degrees.. it would be easy to just cut a 90 degree square corner. I am wondering what look you are going for?? I rounded mine to look as original as possable. just asking.

The Army's machinist guide says that the weakest ones are the 90-degree shoulders. 45 degrees are stronger, then the curved shoulders are strongest. More work, true, but strongest.

 

[hotbarrel]

here is a CUSTOM piston for a gunco member made exactly to the dimentions he sent me. note the rounded corners. :thumbup1: the piston end is slightly concave like the original ones!! and I drilled a hole up into the thread area I did all the work between centers with a drive DOG not in the chuck , my first time dooing this and it worked GREAT I like it :thumbup1: all stainless. it was a few hours but a lot of fun and I got to use some of the new tooling I bought , includeing the dog. and a dead center.

I bpought a bunch of stuff from Grizzely and ALL of it was as good or better that I had hoped.

 

[hotbarrel]

OH yes I forgot to say thanks to HCPOOKIE for the GOOD info!!!

 

[snazi]

Damn nice work HB! Man, custom pistons, you'll be doing 100% home built AK's soon.

Back at Colorado School of Trades they explained how to make barrels from bar stock. You bored out the bore then took an old barrel with the proper rifling and made a mandrel with a lead plug. On the other end you placed carbide or hard tool steel cutters. You slide the mandrel back and forth in the old barrel while adjusting the cutters to gradually cut the riflings inthe new. Basically what you ended up with was a homemade rifling machine without spending big money.